Washington, DC [US], March 1 : US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated on Wednesday that Beijing might be "intentionally" inundating the United States with the synthetic opioid fentanyl, resembling a "reverse" scenario of the Opium Wars in the mid-1800s that weakened China's global position, according to a report from Radio Free Asia (RFA).
US officials attribute the devastation in communities and the overdose fatalities of tens of thousands of Americans annually to fentanyl. They state that Mexican drug trafficking organisations procure fentanyl precursors from China and subsequently smuggle the drug into the US, as reported by RFA.
Rubio expressed his belief that China "could halt" the flow of precursors immediately but opted not to, as cited in the RFA report.
"They could put an end to it if they wished. It raises the question in some cases, is this a purposeful act, like are they inundating us with fentanyl?" Rubio remarked, referencing the Opium Wars that confronted China and British opium merchants, as quoted by RFA.
The Opium Wars that occurred between 1839 and 1842 and 1856 and 1860 saw China battling rampant opium addiction, trying to fend off the colonial British and French naval forces, who fought to compel the nation to keep purchasing opium and other goods from traders, according to RFA.
RFA pointed out that Chinese officials held widespread opium addiction responsible for a decline in social stability, much like US officials today link fentanyl to crime, and they sought to outlaw the substance.
However, their defeat in the wars led to the "unequal treaties" that compelled China to legalise opium and relinquish control of Hong Kong. This marked the beginning of "the century of humiliation" for China, an era that still shapes Beijing's worldview today, RFA noted.
As per an RFA report, US President Donald Trump recently enacted a 10 per cent tariff on Chinese imports as a response to what he described as Beijing's unwillingness to curb the flow of precursors. On Thursday, Trump warned that he would increase that rate by an additional 10 per cent on March 4.
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